Wrench.



No. 830,800. PATENTED SEPT. 4., 1906. J. CHRISTIAN & O. E. WETZEL.

WRENCH.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 30. 1906.

W/TNESSES:

ATTORNEYS UNITED STATES PATENT orrron.

JOHN CHRISTIAN, OF HYDRAULIC, AND CHARLES E. \VETZEL, OF NATURITA, COLORADO.

WRENCH- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 4, 1906.

Application filed January 30, 1906. Serial No. 298.584.

T0 at whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOHN CHRISTIAN, a resident of Hydraulic, and CHARLES E. l/VET- ZEL, a resident of Naturita, in the county of Montrose and State of Colorado, citizens of the United States, have invented a new and Improved l/Vrench, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

Our invention relates to wrenches, it having for its principal objects the provision of such an implement which may be readily adjusted and securely locked in position.

It consists in the various features and combinations hereinafter described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, formim a part of this specification, in which simi ar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 shows one embodiment of our invention in side elevation, parts being broken away and in section; and Fig. 2 is a partial edge elevationlooking from the right in Fig. 1.

designates a bar, which may be of rectangular section, and has at one extremity a reduced portion 11. This portion 11 receives a handle or rip 12, which is secured against longitudinal displacement by a nut 13, operating upon a threaded end of the bar, while a key 14 prevents the handle from turning. The bar is wider in one of its sectional dimensions than the other and tapers somewhat from the handle, the wall 15 converging outwardly toward the axis. At the outer extremity of the bar is fixed a jaw 16, of any convenient form. Surrounding the bar and being movable thereon is a frame 17, having projecting from it at one side a jaw 18, cooperating with the fixed jaw. At the side opposite this jaw 18 the inner wall 19 of the frame is separated from the wall 15 of the bar and is inclined in the same direction, but at a greater angle. Through the wall 19, between its ends, is an opening 20.

In the space between the walls 15 and 19 fits a wedge 21., the taper of which is in the same direction as that of the bar. Both ends of the wedge project beyond the frame, and at the outer extremity is a stop, conveniently furnished by a screw 22, which prevents the withdrawal of the wedge from the space. At the opposite end of the wedge is a cam-face 23, with which cooperates a cam-face 24, formed upon a contact member 25, carried by a lever 26, fulcrumed at 27 upon the frame. The member is preferably variable in position upon the lever, it being secured by a screw 28, threaded into the lever and passing through a slot 29 in the bar. Into the open ing 20 in the frame extends a projection 30, entering a depression 31 in the lever adjacent to its fulcrum. Beyond the fulcrum the lever has a projection 32 for contact with the frame to limit its outward swing.

When the lever is in the position indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1 of the drawings, the cam-faces 23 and 24: will be out of contact and the engagement of the projection and depression 31 will cause the wedge to be moved toward the handle of the implement, thus leaving the frame free to travel along the bar. This enables the user to quickly slide the movable jaw into the desired position for engagement with a nut or the like. The movable jaw having been properly placed, the lever is swung toward the handle until the cam-faces contact, this at the same time leaving the projection 30 free to move in its depression. The cooper ation of the cam-faces forces the wedge against the walls 15 and 19, securely locking the movable jaw upon the bar. It should be particularly noted that outward movement of the jaw 18, or that tending to release the object engaged, brings the wedge against an inclined surface upon the bar, which effectually resists slipping in this direction.

It will be noticed that the side of the re cess 31 remote from the pivot 27 engages the projection 30 upon the wedge when the handle 26 is swung outwardly and tends to move the wedge slightly downward upon the bar, whereby to loosen the wedge from between the frame and the bar. In this construction the long arm of the lever 26 is provided with means for tightening the wedge, while the short arm is provided with means for loosening the wedge.

Having thus described our invention, we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. A wrench comprising a bar provided with a fixed jaw, a frame movable upon the bar and having a cooperating jaw, a wedge movable between the bar and frame, and a lever fulcrumed upon the frame, the lever and wedge having contacting cam-faces, one of the faces being upon a member variable in 10 for varying the position of the cam upon the position upon the element with which it is lever, and means on the lever for loosening associated. the wedge.

2. A wrench comprising a bar having a In testimony whereof we have signed our fiXed jaw, a frame mounted upon the bar and names to this specification in the presence of 5 having a jaw cooperating with the fixed jaw, two subscribing witnesses.

a wedge between the frame and the bar, said JOHN CHRISTIAN. wedge having a cam-surface at its lower end, CHARLES E. WETZEL. a lever pivoted in the frame, and having a I/Vitnesses: cam cooperating with thecarnsurface, means W. H. ATTLEsEA,

OTTO E. VENSTROM. 

